


Nine Lives

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [48]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-11
Updated: 2014-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2433185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I am not gonna be Old Dirty Bastard.” Hotch replied.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nine Lives

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the **Thicker than Water** universe, where the BAU are kids and teens.

“Dude, we could be like the Wu-Tang Clan! Do you know how badass that would be?”

“JJ…” Jason gently admonished.

“What? C'mon, Gideon, that’s not even a real swear word. But you still have to be at least 13 to say it.” she looked at the little ones. “Sometimes things are just badass; there's no other way to describe them. The Wu-Tang Clan is one of those things.”

“What the heck is a Wu-Tang Clan?” Hotch asked, passing the blueberry syrup to Morgan.

“Did you just ask that?” JJ looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Did you really just ask what the Wu-Tang Clan is?”

“Yes.” Hotch nodded.

“Dude, they're only one of the best rap groups of all time. Nine dudes from Long Island who lay down the law. Enter the 36 Chambers, fool. C.R.E.A.M., Hotch. Tell me you’ve heard of C.R.E.A.M.?”

“Nope.” He shook his head.

“Oh my God, this boy needs help. Cash rules everything around me…C.R.E.A.M. First we were the Lucky 7, then we were 8 is enough, and now we’ll be the Wu-Tang Clan. I call Raekwon, cuz I'm like a chef mixing it up and producing that hotness.”

“What is she talking about?” Hotch looked at Jason.

“I think he’s one of the rappers.” Jason said.

“You guys are insane.” JJ covered her eyes. “There are nine dudes and they make up the Wu-Tang Clan. There's RZA, GZA, Raekwon the Chef, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Old Dirty Bastard or ODB, um…”

“You're missing two.” Hotch said.

“And two other dudes; everyone forgets the other dudes. But they're awesome too. They rap about kung fu, cash, New York, and all that coolness.”

“U God and Masta Killa are the other two.” Derek said.

“What he said.” JJ pointed at him.

“Well, OK,” Hotch said. “Now I think I've heard all I need to.”

He made a funny face, which made Spencer, Penelope, and Ashley laugh. The family was having their weekend breakfast out. They didn’t do it very often, maybe once a month. They usually preferred to eat at home.

It was cheaper and they all liked helping out for the family breakfast. But once in a while no one was in the mood for pots and pans so they descended on the masses. This Saturday morning it was the IHOP in Arlington, VA. Their waitress was happy to see them as a party of 6 or more had the gratuity already in the check.

“Scoff if you must but that would be awesome. Who would you be Derek?”

“Method Man of course, he's the coolest.” Morgan replied.

“Gideon is the RZA, since he is the unofficial leader of the group. Emily would be the GZA, since their names are similar. Hotch can be ODB.”

“I am not gonna be Old Dirty Bastard.” Hotch replied. “He's a mess.”

“Language Hotch.” Jason said.

“See, you know who he is.” JJ said.

“I think everyone knows who he is. I've seen him on MTV. I'm not gonna be him. Let me be another guy.”

“OK, you can be Inspectah Deck.”

“I wanted to be him.” Penelope said. “That name makes me giggle.”

“OK, Garcia is Inspectah Deck. Hotch can be Ghostface Killah.” Morgan said.

“That’s kinda cool.” Hotch nodded.

“Is Megan really gonna come and live with us?” Spencer asked. Emily handed him back his plate. He never cut his pancakes, preferred them perfectly round. But she always put his syrup on for him. It was never his intent, but Spencer always made a mess with those things.

“I don't know, Spencer. Her mom is probably going to be married soon and may move out of town. Megan needs to finish school; it’s not a good idea to transfer in senior year. So if that happens she has to have someplace to live.”

“I like her a lot.” Penelope said, cutting into her cherry cheese crepe. “It'll be fun if she lives with us.”

“It'll be crowded if she lives with us.” Morgan mumbled.

“Are you against it, Derek?” Jason asked. He sipped his tea.

“Well, no. I would never let her be thrown out on the street or have to repeat a grade or something. But c'mon, we've only got two bathrooms. Nine people is insane. And where is she going to sleep? The roof?”

“The sleeping arrangements are under control.” Hotch replied.

Morgan looked at him. He looked at him and smirked.

“No way, Gideon…no way! So I can't even have a girl in my room at all and Hotch gets to sleep with one. How in the world is that fair?”

“It’s not like that Derek.” Hotch said. “This is about her having someplace safe to live.”

“Oh yeah right. Look, if she moves in with us, I should be allowed to have Tina in my room.”

“How does that line of thinking go?” Jason asked.

“Hotch is shacked up with his girlfriend and I can't take mine beyond the den. Yours is two doors down from you and you two share a room a lot. That isn’t fair. I'm telling you it just isn’t fair.”

“I have to agree.” Emily said.

“See.” Derek pointed at her.

“You made the rule that no one under 16 was allowed to have guests of the opposite sex on the upper level and it’s a good rule. But with both older boys having girlfriends living in the house, the rule unfairly lands on Derek specifically.” Emily said. “Therefore, it’s discriminatory. He's the only other person in the house even close to the age. I have no problem with Megan living with us; I support it 100% if she needs to. But I also support a revocation of the rule as well.”

“I agree with Prentiss.” Morgan replied.

“Of course you do.” Hotch gave him the evil eye.

“If Megan moves in with us the rule will be revoked.” Jason said. “However…”

“Aww man, Gideon, there always has to be a however doesn’t it?”

“The ‘however’ is that you cannot parade girls through the house like Playboy bunnies. It’s not a good thing for the kids to see. You're dating Tina now, you can have Tina upstairs. If the rule is changing because girlfriends are moving in then the only girl you can have in your room is your girlfriend.”

“I can live with that.”

“And the door has to be opened.” Emily said.

“I can live with that too. Thanks for having my back, Prentiss.” Derek smiled.

“I always have your back.”

“I always have your back too.” Jason said.

“I know.” Morgan put his hand out and Jason slapped it.

“So what cool thing do I get if Megan moves in?” JJ asked.

“Hey now, this is not about getting cool things. You already have a 10 o’clock bedtime, which will move up to eleven when you start high school. Everything else in the house will remain the same. We have to have some kind of order.”

Everyone nodded and started chowing down on their breakfast. Their server, a nice older lady named Beverly, came by to check that all was well. Ashley wanted another glass of chocolate milk and Spencer wanted another fork since he swore there were spots on his. Jason had inspected it but it didn’t pass the Reid test.

“If her mommy is getting married and moving away, Hotch, how come Megan isn’t going with her?” Ashley asked. “Am I allowed to ask questions too?”

“Of course of you can ask questions.” Hotch replied. “It’s a long story but mostly Megan just wants to finish high school here. She’s only ever lived in two places and she likes DC.”

“I like it too.” Ashley said. “I wouldn’t want to leave either.”

“Exactly. She doesn’t have any family here, only in Texas. She doesn’t want to go back there.”

“She could be emancipated like Jason and Emily.” Penelope said.

“She doesn’t need to do that because she’s almost 18, Garcia. Once she turns 18 she's a grownup according to law.”

“Which member of the Woot-Tang Clan will she be?” Spencer asked.

“Wu-Tang Clan.” Derek said, laughing. “She gets to pick one if the time comes.”

Hotch nodded and breakfast went on. There were other exciting things to talk about like Fourth of July and their first family barbecue. Plus they were planning the first ever family vacation, one week away in Virginia Beach. Everyone was so excited…there was so much to plan and discuss.

Penelope wanted to talk about getting new material to make dresses for middle school. Ashley was feeling weird about the tests she’d have to take to get into school. JJ got invited to a skate birthday party from a girl at school she managed to tolerate so she was gonna go.

“Its next week and I need a gift. She’s turning 13.”

“We’ll do some shopping one evening after I get home from the swim club.”

“Thursday is my free day.” JJ said.

“Well then Thursday it is.”

“Thanks.” Ashley smiled when her chocolate milk was returned to her.

“Drink slower, Ashley.” Jason said. “No more milk for you.”

“But milk helps me grow. I saw that on TV.”

“Yes, it does, and its good for you but in moderation. That’s your third glass.”

“What's moderation mean, Jason?” she asked.

“It means the avoidance of extreme or excesses.” Spencer replied.

“Huh?” she crinkled her little nose.

“What Spencer is trying to say is that it means not to have too much of one thing or it'll make you sick.” Emily said. “Like a scoop of ice cream is OK but when you have two it usually makes your belly ache.”

“Ohhh, I get it now. Thanks Spencer; thanks Emily.”

“These pigs in a blanket are high qual.” JJ said, nodding her head.

“High qual?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“It’s the new slang. You gotta get with the times, Gideon.”

“I will stay in my times, thanks.”

“But you're the one who tells us to learn one new thing everyday.” Morgan said. “You just learned something new.”

“OK, I stand corrected. And it’s early too so I don’t have to learn anything else.”

Jason winked at Spencer and Ashley who were sitting across from him and the little kids laughed. Jason had them learning lots of new things for the summer. They both had reading lists, appropriate for their age and learning level. They were doing spelling words, vocabulary, and Ashley was doing arithmetic. At first she thought it was lame to do this stuff in the summertime when you didn’t have to be in school.

Luckily, Spencer helped to make it fun. He knew all kinds of stuff and gave her a ‘genius’ fact everyday. Jason even taught her ways to keep stuff in her head, and it actually worked. She still didn’t think she would like school but she liked learning with her new family. That was what she learned that was new; and most important.

***

“I’m going with Hotch.” Jason said as they walked through the strip mall parking lot. “You don’t mind driving, do you Emily?”

“Nope.” She caught the keys when he threw them in her direction.

“Shotgun!” Penelope exclaimed.

“Aww man, baby girl, you got me.”

Jason smiled as Penelope did her happy dance. He watched them all chattering away while walking to the Woody. Their bellies were full and they were happy kids. That made him happy. He and Hotch stopped at the Mustang.

“Actually, I wasn’t going home.” Hotch said, unlocking the passenger side door. “I was going straight to Megan’s. Since I don’t have work today we were going to hang out.”

“I know, and I'm sorry to take you out of your way. I need to talk to you about something important though.”

“OK.” Hotch got in the car and so did Jason. When he got in and started the engine, rap music blasted out of the speakers. Hotch turned it down before changing the station. He’d driven from home with Morgan and Garcia. They wanted to hear the cool music. The 80s and 90s pop-rock station was cool enough for Hotch.

“Something Morgan said got me to thinking.” Jason said.

“He might make you put that in writing.”

“Yeah.” the older boy smiled. “Do you think it’s a good idea for you and Megan to share a room? You’re barely 17 years old Aaron; I'm not sure it’s the right message to send to the kids.”

“Where would she sleep if we didn’t?”

“She could bunk with Emily.” Jason suggested.

“That might cramp your style.” Hotch replied.

“I'm afraid I don’t have much of a style. Its something to think about.”

“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. “I don’t want to make trouble but Megan is very um…solitary. I'm not sure she would be able to share space with Emily full time. Not to mention that Emily might not want a roommate.”

“But Megan will be able to share with you?” Jason asked.

“Sure; she cares about me.”

“I don’t want to be invasive but what would stop you two from having sex every night?”

“Nothing, but it wouldn’t stop us if she slept in Emily’s room either. Megan has a very healthy sexual appetite, Jason; there's no point in lying. None of this is about shacking up. I honestly hope this doesn’t come to pass. I fear over saturation will alter our relationship. But I also needed to make sure she’ll be OK if Melinda runs off. Unfortunately Melinda isn’t going to concern herself over it.”

“It’s a real sin how terrible her family life is.” Jason said. “She seems like a really lovely girl and I know what a struggle it is for her sometimes.”

“She’ll be OK.” Hotch replied quickly.

“Hotch, I know some of the things you told me about her make you feel as if you’ve broken her confidence. That’s not the case. I will never tell Megan, or anyone else, that we had these conversations. OK?”

“OK.” Hotch nodded. “Thanks Jason; thanks so much.”

“You're welcome.”

The rest of the ride went by in companionable silence. There were familiar songs on the radio and the scenery out the window. Hotch pulled up in front of the house just as Emily was parking. The kids were jumping out of the Woody; Hotch put his blinkers on.

“We can handle this, right Jason? If Megan moves in with us we’ll be OK?”

“I don’t see why not. Don’t let it worry you too much…have a good afternoon together.”

Hotch nodded. When Jason got out of the car, he made a U turn and headed in the direction of Foggy Bottom.

***

Hotch didn’t have to be announced anymore. Megan gave him a guest park card so he could swipe and get into the underground parking lot. From there he could get to the elevator and go straight up to the ninth floor where she lived with her mother. Hotch buzzed the door and waited. His smile was effortless when she opened the door. Megan was dressed in denim shorts and a lavender baby doll tee. Her torso teased just enough to drive Hotch crazy.

“Come in here. How was breakfast?”

“Its interesting you asked that because your situation came up.”

“What did you tell them, Aaron?”

He wasn’t sure if her voice was angry or concerned. Megan didn’t want to be a charity case…he didn’t know anyone who did. Still, her situation could turn dire quickly and it was important to make sure they had a backup plan.

“All I said was that your mom could get married soon. If she does then she may leave town and you would need to stay with us to finish high school.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, hey.” Hotch wrapped his arms around her after an awkward silence. “I promised that you had my confidence and I'm not going to break a promise to you. Still, I had to tell my family something. I don’t want to be deceptive with them either.”

“I just don’t want people to feel sorry for me.”

“I know that.”

“I hate that I even have to be worried about this. And I surely don’t want you getting up to your neck in my problems. You're a teenager; your life is supposed to be happy and carefree.”

“What the hell is that?” Hotch asked.

“Aaron…”

“If you want to make me feel good you can give me a kiss. I know I can turn your frown upside down.”

“Oh my God, you're so corny.” Megan smiled, wrapping her arms around him. Her stomach was still churning. She didn’t want Hotch getting in so deep with her. At the same time it felt so good that Megan wasn’t alone anymore. She thought she’d always be alone. “That’s one of the things I adore about you, Aaron Hotchner.”

Hotch adored a lot about her. Since he had difficulty expressing that verbally, his kisses would have to do. His kisses were deep and passionate; he always left Megan breathless.

“What do you want to do today?” Hotch asked when he caught his breath.

“I’d love an afternoon in, if you don’t mind. I have some movies and there are plenty of snacks. Unless you had something else planned?”

“No, an afternoon in is great. Where's your mom?”

Megan shrugged. Melinda believed that a proposal was imminent. She went into full ‘loving, caring girlfriend’ mode. Timothy took up all of her time. That didn’t leave her any time to spend with her daughter.

“Well, that’s OK…I’ll keep you company.” He said.

“I'm excited to have you all to myself.” She ran her fingers through his thick black hair.

“I have a crazy question for you Megan.”

“Those are my favorite kind…shoot.”

“Which member of Wu-Tang Clan would you be if you had to choose?” Hotch asked.

“ODB, no question.” She replied laughing. “He's the crazy, unpredictable one. Where did that come from, Boy Wonder?”

“My family can be pretty kooky sometimes. We’re easy to love though, I promise.”

Megan just smiled, taking both of his hands and leading him up to her bedroom. She would get to know his family better, perhaps sooner rather than later. She already knew one of them was quite easy to love.

***

“I'm not disturbing you, am I?”

Emily looked up from _The Vampire Lestat_ and smiled at Jason.

“Nope, but you're blocking my sun.”

He smiled too, sitting down on her blanket. Emily had spread out a blanket, slathered on the SPF, and was enjoying an afternoon read. Ashley was playing nearby. She alternated between entertaining herself with cartwheels and swinging in a tire Jason secured to their tree. Even Kitty was lazing in the sun…she liked coming outside when Ashley did.

“Everyone is busy.” Jason said. “Derek went to the Boys and Girls Club, JJ and Will went to the movies. Penelope and Kevin are inside watching TV and Spencer is reading. He might take a nap; he said he was feeling sleepy.”

“Is he alright?” Emily asked.

“I think so. There’s no headache, stomachache, or dizziness. I think it’s just the heat. You know it doesn’t always agree with him.”

Emily nodded. She put a bookmark in her book and leaned her head on Jason’s shoulder. He was sitting in front of her so reached his hand back to caress her face when he felt the contact. Jason shuddered when Emily kissed the palm of his hand.

“Am I doing the right thing?” he asked.

“It feels just fine to me.”

“I'm talking about with Hotch…the Megan situation.”

“Oh.” Emily sighed, wrapping her arms around his midsection. “Well if she has no place to live what's going to happen to her? You had the choice to say no but that’s not your nature. If you can help someone then you will.”

“But is it a good idea to let them share a room?” Jason asked. “What kind of example will it set for the younger kids?”

“Where will she sleep if they don’t?”

“I was thinking your room.”

“Keep thinking. I mean, I like her and I know that Hotch cares about her but that’s not a good plan. I think the kids know why she's staying with us, if that’s what comes to pass. Sex is the last thing on Spencer, Penelope, and Ashley’s minds.

“Anyway, Hotch and Megan do it now and they don’t share a house. They’ll continue to if they live together. I don’t think it'll increase by much. They’re both really busy.”

“I'm concerned about Megan of course but I have to put my kids first.”

“You always do, Jace.” Emily dropped a kiss on his shoulder. “Everything will work out in the end.”

“Do you think that Megan is unstable?” he asked.

The question caught Emily off guard. She didn’t have a chance to answer because Ashley interrupted to say she had to use the bathroom. When she went up the steps and through the back door, Kitty followed.

“Why would you ask me that?” she countered.

“There's just something…”

“She has issues, Jason, no doubt. I don’t know her well but there is surely therapy in her future. There's some in mine too so I won't talk. I think more than anything she needs to learn to trust in love and trust again. Being exposed to a family like ours can go a long way in helping. It’s not a magic cure but I'm not prepared to call her unstable. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Alright.” Jason turned around and caressed Emily’s face in his hands. “I haven’t kissed you all day today. What's that about?”

“I don't know. It surely wasn’t because I didn’t want to.” she replied. “I always want to.”

Jason smiled, his lips warm on hers. Emily moaned into their kiss. It always sent shivers down her spine. If Megan felt one-tenth with Hotch like Emily felt with Jason then it would help her. She believed that with all of her heart. She knew what love did for her.

“I love you.” she whispered.

“I love you too, Katya.”

“Eww, are you two kissing?” Ashley asked as she came back outside. “Why are you doing that? Are you going to make love now?”

“No, we’re not.” Jason replied. “In fact I'm about to go inside.”

“Good. JJ told me that people can get their faces stuck together if they kiss. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you guys.”

“Jason, don’t go…Ashley, none of that is true kiddo.” She looked at Jason again. “Don’t go yet.”

“We’ll hang out later.” He gave her Eskimo kisses.

“Zoë is coming over after dinner for some _Dawson’s Creek_ but she’ll probably only stay till ten. Even in the summer her mom has her on an early curfew.”

“Well we’ll meet up after.”

“OK.”

She reluctantly let him do and watched him walk toward the house. He playfully pulled one of Ashley’s blonde pigtails and she giggled.

“Hey Emily, wanna watch me do cartwheels?” she asked. “JJ taught me and I'm getting real good too.”

“Of course I do.” Emily smiled. “Show me what you can do.”

Having one more person in the house would be a little crazy, Emily could admit that. But with new people came new adventures and experiences. She knew how much she’d changed, for the better, in the two years she’d been with her family. She saw Ashley changing in just a few weeks. She was more secure and happy. There were still many hurdles but she had a home now.

You could relax when you didn’t have to worry about the rug being pulled from under your feet. Megan deserved to relax and Emily would support her staying with them. She knew how much it meant to Hotch. She knew how much he meant to her. Anyway, being the Wu-Tang Clan was pretty cool.

***

  



End file.
